


Bullet Through Your Heart

by typewriterandtea



Category: Major Crimes (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-29
Updated: 2014-12-31
Packaged: 2018-03-04 04:07:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2909228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/typewriterandtea/pseuds/typewriterandtea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sharon's life is turned upside down when her family becomes the center of a Major Crimes investigation; friendships are tested and family ties are torn. Her niece's boyfriend has been murdered, the girl left in a coma in ICU while her brother in law has disappeared. The division must put aside their personal connection to the case, yet it is harder for some than others.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Kill and Run

**Bullet Through Your Heart | Chapter 1 | Kill and Run**

_kill and run, kill and run_

_I'm one of the dirty guns_

_kill and run, kill and run_

_a bullet through your heart_

"Buzz...make sure you get this all on camera" Provenza called over his shoulder as he watched the stretcher being carried out of the study and through the hallway, the early morning wind ran through the front door and wrapped itself around the occupants of the house. He cursed the weather under his breath as he rubbed his hands together in a bid to create some heat; feeling as cold as the body on its way to their morgue.

"There's blood on the glass cabinet, most likely where our female victim suffered her head trauma" Buzz concluded, zooming his lens towards the blonde, feeling Tao appear at his shoulder to take a swab of the blood before handing it off to the forensic team. "Is there any sign of the weapon?" Andy asked, standing in the center of the chaotic room, his mind ran wild with hundreds of possible scenarios of what exactly could have happened.

The echoing of heels against the marble floor signaled Amy's arrival in the study. "The safe has been raided - the door was left open" She revealed, her eyes glanced around the room for the first time, examining the chaos that had been unleashed upon it. There had clearly been a struggle, their victims had put up an honorable fight; clutching onto their lives with every fiber of their being.

"Jesus, isn't that..." Provenza's startled voice sounded around the room, alerting each member of the team as they cautiously raised their heads in confusion to look at the eldest member of their team. He became lost for words as the pieces finally fell into place in his mind. Amy's eyebrows pulled together as she walked towards the man, looking over his shoulder at the item that had caught the greying man's attention. "Lieutenant, you might want to see this" She called towards Andy, her eyes glancing towards him then back at the photograph as Provenza removed it from the mantle place above the fire place.

The familiar green eyes shone back at them, a charismatic smile masking the features of their faithful Captain, her arm snaked around a woman who appeared to be her younger sister, who had inherited Sharon's porcelain skin, emerald eyes and slender posture except hers were adorned with rich blonde locks. On Sharon's left, stood Emily in her full performance outfit, her dress ornamented with swaroski crystals, while a smartly dressed Ricky towered above his sister and mother. Sharon's sister had her children flocked at her side; a lanky brunette with a wicked jaw, and a younger blonde haired child, who proudly showed off her pearly white teeth as she rested her head against her mother's waist.

Andy dropped his eyes to the ground as he shook his head, a haunted look masked his features as he once again glanced at the picture. Sharon had the exact same one on her writing desk a the condo; she had proudly explained how Ricky, her sister, nieces and herself surprised Emily by turning up for the opening night performance of 'Giselle'.

"Flynn...you might want to call the Captain" Provenza thought aloud, his fingers clasping around the edge of the gold trim photo frame. It might be better if she heard the news from someone other than him; and even a blind man could see the connection better Sharon and Andy, even if they 'weren't dating' - a lie in itself if he had ever heard on.

Andy sidestepped around the shards of glass that trimmed the crimson stained carpet of the study, a perfume bottle had been broken in the struggle, flying off the writing desk and shattering as it hurled towards the ground.

The lavender perfume intoxicated the room, its aroma sticking to the wall; Andy recognised it as being Sharon's signature scent, the one he would smell when she would stand by his side or brush past him. She must have given it as a gift to her sister or niece.

He turned the corner of the hallway, in search of a remote, quiet spot to call Sharon, the last thing he needed was for her to overhear something in the phone call that would be better said in person. Andy stopped at the end of the hallway and glanced out the window at the blinding lights of the patrol cars, having spotted several members of the press already snooping around in search of a story to slap across the front of the morning news. He hit her number on speed dial and crossed his arms as he patiently waited for her to pick up, even if part of him prayed that she would sleep through the ringing.

She picked up on the third ring.

Having glanced at the caller ID, Sharon brought her iPhone to her ear, turning on her bedside lamp, letting it shower the room in its light. "Andy" She greeted, puzzled as to why he had called in the wee hours of the morning. Silence greeted her on the other end. Sitting up in the bed, Sharon leaned herself back against the pillows; this couldn't be good news. "Andy?" She asked, hearing his rattly breath on the other end. Usually, Andy would have wasted no time in informing her of their latest case; but this time, something was different.

Something wasn't right.

Her free hand patted across the bedside table in search of her glasses, placing them on the bridge of her nose as her eyes adjusted to the change in vision. Still silence; she could almost hear him as he paced across the floor. "Who?" Her voice echoed around the room, heavy and mournful as her eyelids shut from the weight of her thick eyelashes.

"You just have to get here, Sharon. Before Taylor finds out about this" Andy mumbled as he shook his head, how he wished that Provenza had of done this, but Sharon needed to hear it from someone who cared about her; loved her even. "Where?" She was already out of bed, the plush golden covers were discarded to the side as she pottered towards her closet, selecting the first silk blouse that her hand landed on, taking a black pencil skirt off its hanger. "16 Highland Avenue" Andy's words were slow, forced from his throat with discomfort as he watched his reflected through the oval mirror that hung in the main hallway. He could hear the sharp intake of Sharon's breath as she allowed the news to settle.

Sharon froze, unable to breath, unable to think and unable to comprehend what Andy was saying.

"Sharon" Andy's voice brought the woman back to life as she shook her head, dropping her clothes down onto the bed. "I'm coming - I'll be there as quick as possible - don't let anything happen until I get there" Her voice had quickened, harboring her silent fears and worst nightmares as she turned on her heel to search for shoes to wear.

She couldn't picture what tragedy might greet her; she just had to get there.

"Be safe" Andy warned, having felt as though it was needed; he knew the urge to run, the urge to throw caution out the window to get there as soon as humanly possible. "I promise" She assured him, more to comfort him than herself. Andy sighed heavily as the line went dead on Sharon's end, all he could do was wait.

"Any idea what the relationship between our two victims was?" Provenza asked, his voice floated down the hallway and towards Andy, reminding him that this was not the time to be mixing his professional and personal relationships. He dropped his phone into the pocket of his jacket and headed back towards the crime scene, anxious for Sharon's impending arrival.

Sharon had ran at least two red lights, granted there had been no other cars on the street at such an early hour, and had pushed to the upper end of the speeding limit. Her fingers gripped around the steering wheel, her knuckles looked as though they had been kissed by the first drops of winter's snow. The sky was covered in a blanket of darkness, stars dotted throughout the black abyss could not illuminate the world below. Even in the darkness, Sharon could maneuver her sister's street blindfolded. She drove as close to the driveway as she could, abandoning her car at the top of the police caution tape before killing the engine.

"Captain!" Amy's voice sounded around the property as the young woman added an inch to her step, reaching her superior officer's side in six strides. "What's happened?" Sharon bombarded, her eyes darting around for any sign of her family members, though she was met by nothing but LAPD officers and the forensic team. "Robbery gone wrong - we have one young male fatally wounded and his female companion is in intensive care, suffering from head trauma" Amy warned, falling into step with Sharon as they headed up the driveway, reaching the front door in record speed.

It didn't take long to find the scene of the crime.

The front door had been left opened, the marble hallway led directly towards the study of the house; an Edwardian room adorned with relics from the time. It had once been illuminated by candle light, and now glowed under the blinding softbox light of the forensic equipment. The beige carpet had been stained with crimson; the liquid still damp to the touch. The writing desk had been overturned, the front leg broke in half and discarded across the room; along with the remains of the family's trophy cabinet, its glass door had been smashed to smithereens, shards of glass simmering in pools of crimson blood; the plaques, trophies and certificates sprayed with blood.

Sharon stood frozen against the doorframe, she had prayed that her mind was playing some horrible, wicked trick on her, that this was all a mistake, a mixup. Now, she was forced to face the reality of the situation.

Andy stepped towards the wide-eyed woman, he dropped his hand down to her arm, bringing her back from the land of nightmares. "Sharon" He coached, hoping to bring her around from her state of disbelief. "Who?" She asked, her eyes dancing across the two lemon yellow forensic place-markers marked 'A' and 'B'. "The female victim's ID says she's 'Audrey Ewing'" Andy revealed, producing the labeled generic evidence bag that contained the woman's driver license.

Sharon's fingers feebly reached out to take the evidence bag, her thumb creasing the photograph of her niece before she examined the room. "The man might have been Nick, her boyfriend, he's about 21 - you should find some pictures of him in her room" Sharon forced herself to be rational, she had no idea how long it would be before Taylor would come storming in and assign her off the case. Andy shot a glance towards Tao, who quickly nodded his head before grabbing his DSLR camera and exiting the study in search of the woman's bedroom.

"You said there was only two victims..." She started, leaning on Andy for support as she lowered herself down onto the edge of the chaise lounge. "Yes, Captain" Provenza confirmed, a somber mood having fallen over him as he addressed his Captain. Sharon wasn't sure if that was a good sign, or a bad one. "My sister Claire and her youngest daughter, Daisy, were at my parent's time share in Park City; they were meant to be home tonight. My brother in law, James should have been here to" Sharon revealed, praying that there was a reasonable explanation as to where the other three were, and that they hadn't suffered the same fate as Audrey or Nick.

Andy's eyes widened as he took in the new information, this all just seemed to be getting worse by the minute. Provenza caught the younger man's eye for a moment before he disappeared towards the door of the study, waving Sanchez over to his side. "Send patrol on a search around the neighborhood, we could have another three bodies to search for" Provenza warned in a hushed whisper, watching as the man nodded respectfully before heading back down the hallway towards the collection of patrol officers gathered at the front door of the property.

Sharon fixed her eyes on the wall in front of her, staring into the distant as she struggled to comprehend the situation.

Claire was her younger sister by eight years - her only sibling. She had always been overprotective of Claire, feeling as though it was her duty to look after her. The age gap meant that Claire had been ten when Sharon left home for college, leaving the girl heartbroken and upset for weeks; they had always been close, inseparable since Claire's birth. Her sister had been the first to warn her off Jack, arguing that she deserved a Prince and not a self-obsessed frog. As the years went on, Sharon and Claire remained closely tied together, with Claire inheriting Sharon's passion for law and becoming an attorney. It was Claire who often had to deal with Jack, either by helping Sharon to change the locks of the condo's doors or by throwing the man out when he yet again went one step too far. Claire's husband, James, was the polar opposite of Jack; a senior partner in one of the city's top law firms, a kind hearted father and affectionate husband - everything Jack had failed to be.

Audrey was the politician of the family; a twenty-one year old, witty brunette who was studying Politics, Philosophy and Law with her heart set on a life as a ' _political animal_ ' and who was madly, deeply and unconditional in love with Nick, her partner in crime from the age of sixteen, he had hardly left her side, always in her shadow. He reminded her of a certain grey haired lieutenant.

Daisy had been born at the dawn of summer; a 'late' baby, Claire had been 43 when she gave birth to her youngest daughter, an unexpected surprise but a joyous one. The eight year old was fascinated by her cousin's talent and flair for ballet dancing, and had Ricky wrapped around her little finger.

Nick was lying on the cold, hard metal examining table at the morgue, Audrey's life was hanging in the balance, James had disappeared into thin air, and Claire and Daisy couldn't be tracked down.

"You're brooding" Andy remarked, coming to a stop in front of the shell shocked woman. "Why would anyone do this?" Sharon voice was brittle, lacking it's usual singsong melody. That alone was enough to break Andy's heart; her bottom lip was quavering, her eyes filling with unshed tears as she fought to maintain her professional masquerade of ' _Darth Raydor'_. No one could expect that of her; this was her family after all. "I don't know, Sharon" Andy confessed, he wished that he had all the answers to her questions, but they had come no further than identifying the two victims, perhaps it would have been best if he had of let her sleep, he knew how little of it she got and a few more hours of being trapped away in a peaceful slumber could have help. Though Sharon would never have forgave him for holding the truth from her; even to let her sleep for a little while longer without having yet another cross to bare.

Before either could speak again, a set of heavy footsteps alerted them to the arrival of their Assistant Chief. "Captain, I'm taking you off this case; with immediate affect" Taylor boomed as he entered the room, casting his eyes over the damaged furniture, the remains of their victim's struggle and the stains that acted as a silent reminder of the horror inflicted on both of their victims.

Taylor couldn't simply push her away from this all; she would make him rue the day if he even considered it. "With all due respect, my sister, brother in law and niece are missing; I can help you find them" Sharon protested in a matter-of-fact tone, as she curled her hip and placed one foot in front of the other as she took a defiant stance.

Taylor complemented the idea for a moment, before he decided that rattling the cage of a frustrated, emotional drained and tragedy stricken Sharon Raydor would not work out in his favour. "Flynn, take her back to the station and help her locate the three of them" He ordered, knowing that he himself would have to take charge of the investigation, even if it would put him in conflict with Provenza and no doubt most of Sharon's team.

He knew one thing for sure; this case would test the team's loyalty to the extremes.

_kill and run, kill and run_

_I'm one of the dirty guns_

_kill and run, kill and run_

_a bullet through your heart_


	2. Rose Garden Filled With Thorns

**Bullet Through Your Heart | Chapter 2 | Rose Garden Filled With Thorns**

_Screaming, crying, perfect storms_

_I can make all the tables turn_

_Rose garden filled with thorns  
_

The murder room had never seemed so intimidating.

Not even when she was auditing the team, when they had all been hostile towards her; christening her as _'Darth Raydor'_ and comparing her to the Wicked Witch of the West. They had overcome it all; Provenza had let down his walls and she was glad to call him one of her dearest friends, Mike and Buzz had helped Rusty in more ways than one, Amy had always been pleasant to her and it was interesting to have someone to mentor; Sanchez's loyalty had came with the team's acceptance of her role as head of the division.

Then there was Andy.

At the beginning, he caused her more of a headache than even Jack did on occasions. Her seventy two hour reporting cycles seemed to be on full rotation when he was around, with his personnel file amounting to the size of the rest of the team's _[with the exception of Sanchez's]_ combined together. They seemed to constantly bang heads together, conflicting with one another on a daily basis.

Now, they were worlds away from that.

Andy was a permanent fixture in her life; both in a personal and professional capacity. He was constantly in her shadow, just a step behind her whenever she needed him. She had no qualms about calling him her ' _best friend_ ', there was no one else whom she spent more time with. Their 'not-dates' were a regular occurrence, even more so after their misunderstanding with Nicole. In between cases, they always seemed to find time for a sneaky visit to the cinema, or a trip to Sharon's favourite theater with the season tickets that her kids bought her for her birthday. Even whenever they were on cases, their late night dinners never ceased, getting to the stage where they could call themselves 'regulars' at Andy's usual Italian restaurant and knew several of the waiters by name.

Not even his presence could make the murder room any less intimidating.

She couldn't deny that she became emotional attached to a number of their cases, the photo of their Jane Doe still remained on the murder board, a silent reminder of the horrors of the world around them. Yet this case was different.

It was not the photographs of mere strangers that adorned their murder board, but rather those of her nearest and dearest family members. Andy had just finished laying out the basis of it when she appeared from across the threshold of her office door, her temporary sanctuary. Six separate pictures were divided across one half of the board, with each name embossed onto the crisp white board in Andy's cursive handwriting. "It's very different when you're on the other side of this all" Her voice alerted Andy to her presence as she walked towards him, propping herself upon his desk as she took in the appearance of the board.

Andy sighed heavily to himself as he crossed his hands in front of his waist, this was already starting to take its toll on Sharon and they were less than hour into this saga; this tragedy that had wickedly unfolded itself onto the family of one of the people he held most dear to his heart. Her eyes had lost their usual aurora of light, her skin lacked its delicate flush, while her entire persona had changed from one of superiority and confidence, to one of a fragile and feeble woman, fearing for the lives of her family members. They had only stepped onto this emotional roller-coaster, and Andy feared that the worst was yet to come.

"Do you want me to call the kid, get him to come and see you?" Andy suggested, cautious that Sharon needed someone to comfort her, and right now, that couldn't be him, not in the office, where anyone could walk in. Sharon shook her head assertively. "No, let him sleep, he's been working late on Mike's show" She brushed off his suggestion, knowing that her adoptive son would no doubt find the situation awkward in itself; he had met Claire and her family, but his connection and bond with them went nothing beyond that of acquaintances.

"I'm here for you, Sharon, you do know that right?" He asked, closing the distance between them as he continued to speak, "Whenever you need me, day or night, I'm here" He promised. She had helped him out in an unmeasurable way over the past year, she had transformed him into the man he had tried and failed to become for almost two decades - the _'Sharon Affect'_. If he could help her in even the slightest way, he would pay any price to do so.

He reached out to take her hand in his, feeling her slender fingers slip through his, the cold metal of her gold plated rings brushed against his fingers. "You're not in this alone, Sharon." He reminded her, his thumb brushing against the soft skin of her hand. She wasn't on her own anymore, she was no longer the abandoned wife who fended for herself. Now, she had Andy to lean on for support. "I don't know what I would do without you" She asserted, knowing that the coming days and hours would test both their relationship and loyalty to one another.

Her lack of usual makeup made the dark circles around her eyes more evident, a tell tale sign of her lack of sleep. "There's nothing we can do until they finish examining the scene, unless we manage to find the others. So tried to relax Sharon" Andy suggested, knowing that she was going to need all the strength that she could muster for this. "Let me get you a cup of that Early Grey tea - and you need to eat something..." Andy blabbered, doubting that the woman would remember to eat anything today, not with the chaos that had been unfolded onto her family in the last matter of hours.

The silence was deafening. Pulling on the sleeve of her cardigan, Sharon felt the urge to curl up into the fetal position and block the rest of the world out; yet she couldn't do that. She had one niece in intensive care, a sister and niece that no one could track down and a brother in law who appeared to have disappeared off the face of the earth. Running away to the cry in the corner and feel sorry for herself was not an option; regardless of how appealing it may seem.

As Andy returned with a travel mug of freshly brewed tea and a breakfast bar for Sharon, he watched the woman silently for a moment. Sharon had been through her fair share of battles, several of which had been caused by him - though most had been the responsibility of that good for nothing husband of hers. The idea that he had once been on friendly terms with the man - drinking buddies even - now sickened him to the stomach.

Jack didn't deserve Sharon; yet, neither did he.

Pursing her lips, Sharon silently wondered if she should call Emily and Ricky; she and Audrey had been inseparable growing up, acting more like sisters than cousins, with Audrey often playing the electric violin while Emily danced across the wooden floors as she broke in her latest pair of ballet pumps. Ricky was close to Audrey too, as she was his only cousin after all before Daisy came along. If Audrey wasn't going to make it, then Ricky and Emily needed to be there, they needed to see her one last time, to get the dignity of saving a final farewell.

She was brought out of her silent musing by the sound of a brittle voice that floated through the murder room. "Shar..." Claire's heels came to a sudden stop as she appeared in front of her elder sister, her eyes filled with uncertainty, glazed with fear of the unknown and a building sense of tragedy and loss. Andy had never seen Sharon look so relieved. "Oh thank god, Claire" Sharon reached forward to wrap her arms around her younger sister, noticing how much slender her waist was than the last time she had embraced her, even her skin had a yellow ting to it.

Claire held her sister at arm's length, fixing her eyes on Sharon's as she spoke. "Why can't I get to the house? I've had a dozen miss calls from the hospital and I can't get a hold of James. Daisy's been trying Audrey all night and police are surrounding the entire neighborhood. Nick's parents can't get a hold of him and I've had the law firm trying to get in touch with James for the last two hours" Claire bombarded her sister, her voice penetrating Sharon's ears as her voice quickened in pace, talking without halting for a breath.

Sharon wished that she had never been put into this situation; this impossible situation. This storm that she had been thrown head first into.

"What happened Sharon?" Claire demanded, the movement of time only adding to her tension and insecurity. Daisy hovered at the murder board, her carolina blue eyes dancing across the pictures and cursive writing, until they landed on the picture of her sister; one that had been taken from the woman's facebook page, her candy apple red lips pursed outwards in a mocking kiss as she embodied the essence of the old hollywood goddesses, giving her namesake a run for her money. Daisy's eyebrows frowned in confusion as she titled her head and glanced across the pictures of their dismantled study, the blood stained carpet, shattered glass, demolished furniture.

Andy pushed himself away from his desk, striding towards the child. No one deserved to see such horrors, even more so a child who was directly affected by such an ungodly tragedy. "Why don't you go and sit beside your mom, sweet pea?" He coaxed her, his hand dropping down onto her shoulder as he tried to maneuver her away from the murder board and towards the maternal shelter of her aunt and mother. Daisy willfully complied, nodding her head respectfully towards the older man as she allowed him to guide her towards Amy's seat, sitting down as she watched her mother and aunt with bewildered eyes. Something was wrong; she could sense it in her mother's demeanor, in the way her aunt fidgeted with her hands, folding them and unfolding them like a ballet dance.

"We think it was a robbery, all we know is that - well, Claire...Nick didn't make it, Audrey is at Cedars - I don't know much other than she suffered some head trauma. We haven't found James yet." Sharon revealed, wrapping her arms around her waist as her bottom lip jutted out. Andy doubted that she could uphold the masquerade of fearless leader for much longer.

Claire clutched onto her sister's arm as she dropped herself down onto Provenza's chair, her face was blank, emotionless for a moment before the reality of the situation hit her like a ton of bricks. "No - she's not...she can't be" Her voice started to quaver, her bottom lip trembling as her breathing turned rapid, her hand clasping over her heart.

Daisy slumped back in her chair as she listened to her mother's distressed cries; Nick had slipped away into an eternal sleep and her witty and wonderful sister, was left fighting for her life.

Sharon's eyes darted towards Andy in a silent plea for help as she gripped onto the desk. She had a feeling the man was withholding information from her, and given Taylor's role in the case, she couldn't ask to many questions without getting someone in bother. "Latest I heard, they were talking about putting her into a medically induced coma - I'm not one hundred percent certain. I can call the hospital and get an update if you would like" Andy suggested, knowing that some up to date news might pacify Sharon long enough for him to convince her to actual eat something and rest for a little while.

The brief nod of Sharon's head gave Andy his orders as she walked towards her sister, bending down in front of the woman as she clasped her hands over Claire's as the younger woman's fingers shook. "I was meant to be there, Shar" She muttered, shaking her head as her eyes filled with a puddle of tears. "It should be me in hospital and not Audrey" She started, letting her emotions get the better of her as she fell into the trap of guilt. Sharon squeezed her sister's hand, trying her best to keep her own emotions at bay. "You can't talk like that, Claire" She reminded her sister, knowing that the last thing she needed was for her sister to think it was all her fault, to blame herself for a crime that someone else committed.

The phone call had been short, lasting no more than three minutes."They hope that by placing her into the medically induced coma, it'll avert the damage done by the head trauma - they suspect she'll only remain unconscious for a handful of days before they bring her out of it." Andy announced as he set the phone back down onto its cradle. Claire's shoulders dropped as her features softened; every cloud had a silver lining, and this was it. Sharon let slip a sigh of relief at the news, her niece had always been a fighter, as stubborn as herself. When things settled down, she would call Emily and Ricky, give them the choice of coming home; no doubt Emily would be on the next plane home, with Ricky hot on her heels.

Claire turned around to bend down in front of her youngest daughter, whispering assuring words to the child, promising that everything would be okay. She prayed that this wouldn't be a day made up of false promises.

"I told you she was a fighter, Sharon" Andy reminded her, hoping that the brief glimmer of good news would ease her tension as he placed the travel mug of tea down in front of her, the steam parting as the cold air wrapped around the top of the mug. "She's not out of the woods yet" Sharon affirmed, unsure if she wanted to grasp this new found hope with both hands and clutch it close to her heart, or to be realistic and face the facts.

Audrey was beautiful, willful and a fighter.

That new found hope would give Sharon the courage to believe in her.

Turning to face her sister once more, Claire looked as though she was mentally torn, her mind saying one thing while her heart battled for another. "What am I meant to do, Sharon?" She pleaded, her daughter was laying unconscious in a hospital bed, but her husband was missing off the face of the earth - unreachable, disappeared into thin air. "Andy and I will go to the hospital, you need to find James" Sharon decided, thinking on her feet as she picked the mug up with one hand while taking her black trench coat with the other.

Claire nodded her head slowly, digging around her handbag for her keys and iPhone. "Yes, yes we'll do that. As you as you get to the hospital, let me know, and if anything happens to Audrey..." She chocked, her hands shaking as she wrapped her fingers around her phone, the screen lighting up with another confused, panicked text message. "Claire, go and find James, or go to the hospital and tell Provenza that I sent you" Sharon counseled her younger sister, letting Andy hold her coat out for her as she slipped her arms through the long, black sleeves before adjusting the collar to release her wavy locks of hair from beneath it.

"I'll call you if I find anything" Claire called over her shoulder, taking Daisy's hand in her own as she headed towards the door of the murder room, taking her steps two at a time as she balanced herself on her heels. Sharon watched the woman leave; feeling helpless to protect her sister from the malicious nature of their situation.

The feeling of Andy's hand on the small of her back caused her to pull her eyes away from the door to look at her Lieutenant. "We'll take my car" He declared, leading the way out of the murder room, holding the door open for Sharon as she past him.

The journey was silent. They kept the radio off; music wasn't appropriate for the mournful atmosphere that filled the car, while Andy was fearful to turn on any of the radio stations in case they became to report the murder - possible homicide. Sharon was content to bask in the comfort of Andy's presence, a constant reminder that she wasn't in this alone. The LA traffic was starting to come to life once more as the sun rose in the sky, illuminating the world below. Andy pulled the car into the visitor's car park, managing to secure a spot near the front of the hospital.

Getting out of the car, Andy walked around to the passenger door, holding it open for Sharon. "Something doesn't feel right, Andy" She voiced her fear, folding and unfolding her hands in front of her waist as she turned her head away from him to stare blankly into the distance. He leaned down at the side of the car to offer her his hand, letting her lean on him for support. As Sharon stood to her full height, Andy kept a hold of her hand, letting their joint hands casual drop to their sides. "Don't think that way, 'll find whoever caused this all, Audrey will pull through, and we'll find your brother in law." He vowed, knowing that each and every member of their team would work themselves to bone to find out what had happened to Sharon's family, to ease their Captain's pain and misery. "How can you be so sure?" She argued, shaking her head as she bit her lip, feeling the cold winter air wrap around her shoulders in an unpleasant embrace.

"I've never broken a promise to you before, and I don't intend to start" Andy assured her, leading her towards the automatic doors of the hospital. Years of being a police officer had led him to know the layout of the hospital like the back of his hand. Stopping in front of the elevator, he pressed the button for the intensive care unit, watching as the button lit up. He cast his eyes to the side as he felt Sharon drop her head down onto his shoulder for a moment.

This was her family.

This wasn't any normal case.

Their team was a family, and by extension, her family mattered to them all. 


	3. A Lion Still Has Claws

I couldn't resist getting one chapter out before the New Year. Here's a Shandy filled chapter to celebrate a hopefully very Shandy/Major Crimes filled 2015.

* * *

**Bullet Through Your Heart | Chapter Three | A Lion Still Has Claws**

_In a coat of gold or a coat of red,_

_a lion still has claws,_

_And mine are long and sharp, my Lord,_

_as long and sharp as yours._

Over the years, Sharon had grown to hate hospitals.

When she was younger, it was a symbol of hope; her mother's recovery from pneumonia when Sharon was fifteen, followed over a decade later by the joyus births of each of her children. In recent years, it had became a symbol of loss. Jack's drunken visits to the E/R were a regular occurrence throughout the latter years of their marriage; with their medical bills amounting to as much as the children's tuition fees. If it wasn't from getting into a fight during his ritual bar crawl while hitting on another man's naive wife, then it was from crashing his car after consuming his own body weight in bourbon and whiskey. Her father's stroke had almost been the end of him; and Sharon had nearly lost the most important man in her life. He was only a shadow of himself now; after an exhausting four weeks in ICU. He was ridden to a chair, needing the assistance of at least one other person to walk around the room. Now, this...

The heavy aroma of bleach and hand sanitizer hung in the air, masking the nauseating scent of sickness and death. The sterile white floors led towards a set of double doors, bringing the couple to a long line of blue plastic chairs. The faded beige paint was chipping off the sides of the walls, a television set flashed in the corner with the latest 'breaking news' headlines, aging children's toys were scattered in the corner while out dated magazines sat in tospy-turvy piles on the coffee table. The constant beeping of machines echoed through the abandoned corridors.

Once she went in, she couldn't go back. She couldn't pretend that this was all some horrible nightmare of her over active imagination.

Sharon felt a tug on her hand before Andy's voice filled the room, bringing her out of her daydreaming. "We're here to see Audrey Edwing" He announced, withdrawing his badge from his inside pocket, producing the gold plated medallion for the nurse to inspect. The young nurse glanced up from her computer scene to greet the couple in front of her. "I believe that the Doctor is with her at the moment, I'll have him come to see you as soon as he's finished. Please, take a seat" She assured them, standing from her seat as she moved her left hand forward to point towards the vacant chairs at the side of the room.

The seats were uncomfortable, cold and stiff. Fathers had anxiously sat on them, impatiently waiting for the sound of their child's first cries of life; while wives had struggled to hold it together as their husbands fought for their life in the next room. These seats had stories of their own to tell; but comfort was one thing they could not offer Sharon - not today. "She's so young, Andy, she had her whole life in front of her - they had everything going for them" Sharon whispered, as she turned away, starring into the distance. Andy pressed his lips together as he breathed deeply, no one should ever have to go through this. "She will get through this - you will all get through this. You just have to trust me" He promised her, hoping it wouldn't turn into another in the long list of false promises he had made throughout the years.

The Doctor cleared his throat to alert the couple to his presence, cradling the generic, flimsy cardboard folder in his arm. "Mrs. Edwing?" He greeted watching as Sharon raised her eyes, shaking her head as she stood up. "No, I'm Audrey's aunt, Sharon Raydor" She revealed, correcting the Doctor on his presumption. "My apologises, Mrs Raydor. We're running some tests, but I'm positive that she'll make a full recovery in time" The Doctor informed them, flicking between the pages of his notes, Sharon's eyes glancing across the illegible handwriting on the crisp, white page before he brought the folder close to his chest. "You may go in and see her if you wish" He said with a sympathetic smile, stepping to the side to allow them passage into the room.

The silence swallowed the room, sending the occasional beep of her machine echoing from one sterile white washed wall to the other. Her condition could have been mistaken for a peaceful slumber; if it wasn't for the stitches and scars that lay against her face like a masquerade mask, or the oxygen mask that guarded her candy red lips, still stained from her lipstick. IV lines were embedded into the thin skin of her hand, covering the single stranded pearl bracelet that rested against her wrist.

Andy turned his attention from Audrey to Sharon, as she took uneven steps towards the visitors chair, he followed on her heels, cautious of impact this was having on her. Sharon had once been their fearless leader, but if there was one thing that Andy knew, it was that her heart was plated in gold, she got emotional attached; and her family meant _everything_ to her.

Sharon sat herself down on the low chair, her mouth struggling to form words as she parted her lips for a moment before closing them once more as she gathered the courage to speak. "I can't believe it" She crocked, her hand reaching out to clasp Audrey's, her fingers slipping between the gaps left by the IV, while she absorbed the appearance of the deep, garish purple bruise above Audrey's right eyebrow, stitches scarred her cheek where the shards of glass had bled against her skin while the imprints of fingers were partially visible on her neck. "Who would do this?" She asked, biting her lip as she swallowed back her tears.

She cried for the broken dreams and the empty promises; she cried for the ' _what if?_ 's and what could have been; she cried for what had been loved and lost.

Andy's hand found its way to her shoulder, rubbing circles on her back as he bent down beside her. "I'm sorry, but I don't know, Sharon" He confessed, bringing his hand to his forehead as he shook his head; wishing he had the answers that she was desperately searching for. There was a limit to how many times he could say _"I'm sorry"._

Andy could only wish that he had been able to take Sharon in his arms and promise her that everything would get better, that no more tragedy would be inflicted onto her life. It would take a stronger, more honorable man than he to do such a thing. For a man striving tirelessly to better himself, Andy was still so very stuck on the past. A past filled with mistakes, false promises and regret; a past he was fighting to redeem himself from.

"Flynn..." He answered, irritation laced in his voice as he turned his back on the pair, his hand locked around his hip as he gridded his teeth, preparing for the on slaughter that was to come. "Lieutenant Flynn, I need you back at the crime scene - pronto" Taylor ordered, the chaos behind him floated through the phone, Provenza's voice could be heard in the background, shouting orders at the younger officers while Andy could make out Amy's unsuccessful attempts at gaining Taylor's attention. "I'll be there in a hour...Chief, I can't leave" Andy argued, turning around to watch Sharon run her fingers through the wave like strands of her niece's hair, pushing her fringe behind her ear as she sat herself down onto the bed. Rulebook Raydor was throwing the hospital rules out the window; this was personal. He _couldn't_ leave her.

"Flynn, that's an order. Captain Raydor will be fine without you" Taylor reiterated his earlier command, his patience wearing thinner with each passing moment. Andy felt like snorting to himself; Taylor barely knew the woman outside of a professional capacity, yet he thought he knew her mental state enough to believe she would cope being on her own. No one could cope with being alone in this situation. Looking at her, he knew that there was no where else in the world that he would rather be; no more than ever. She needed him; just as much as he needed her. "I...I'll be there right away, Chief" He surrendered, knowing that causing bother with Taylor was the last thing that Sharon would want him to be doing. "I trust you will be" Taylor said, ending the call as hung up the line.

Sharon crossed the room, hesitating as she pulled back the beige curtains and allowing the morning sunlight to seep into the room, engulfing them all in its glow. "Taylor wants you back at the scene, doesn't he?" She questioned as she turned to face him, knowing that there would be no other reason for the man's perfectly timed phone call. Andy sighed heavily as he headed towards the woman, fighting to resist the urge to reach out and hold her against his chest, and fill her head with whispered promises of a better tomorrow, when all of this would be nothing more than a horrible memory.

"I'll be back as soon as I can, I'll bring Rusty with me" He offered, knowing that the conversation he would have to have with the boy wasn't appropriate for over a phone call. He had to explain the situation; how it had effected Sharon. Leaning down, he dropped a kiss on her cheek; it had become a habit when they were alone. It started unintentionally, when he was dropping her home from the Nutcracker, then over the course of their private dinners, cinema visits and banquet receptions, it had become second nature.

This kiss was gentle, and it tasted of tears; the blanket of tears that covered her cheeks.

Sharon looked as though she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. He knew there was little he could do to help; the best thing he could do was bring her answers, to bring her the head of their suspect on a silver platter, fresh from the guillotine.

"Drive safe" She implored, reaching out to pat his cheek before she pulled away, returning to her vigil at the bedside of the young woman. He let her slip from his hold, his eyes following her as she went. If Brenda had of been Assistant Chief, or even had Pope's position, then she would have taken him off the case with Sharon, she would have seen their bond, the thin line that they had raced cross and never looked back at. Though Taylor was certainly not Brenda. Andy couldn't say when the first time was that he fell in love with her, it had happened like all great things - unintentionally and unconditionally.

He allowed the door to swing shut behind him as he left, feeling a sudden urge to strangle Taylor with his bare hands. He would get to the scene, make an appearance, pick up the kid and get back to Sharon as quick as humanly possible; regardless if Taylor approved or not.


End file.
